Sustainability claims behind booming food technologies lack evidence
IMAGE: ANNE CHARLOTTE BUNGE, RESEARCHER AT THE STOCKHOLM RESILIENCE CENTRE AT STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY view more
CREDIT: STOCKHOLM RESILIENCE CENTRE
New analysis reveals significant gaps in evidence related to the sustainability claims of new food technologies such as vertical farming, blockchain, food deliveries and plant-based alternatives to animal products.
Money is pouring into food tech. But despite rosy claims, food innovations are rarely empirically assessed from a broader sustainability perspective.
“Food system technologies are often surrounded by a sustainability halo. And many of them strive to reduce climate impact, but they disregard other dimensions of sustainability,” says Anne Charlotte Bunge, researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University and lead author of a recent study published in Nature Food.
In the study, the research team compared the scientific evidence behind sustainability claims of four food system technologies: plant-based substitutes for meat, dairy, eggs or sea food; vertical farming; food deliveries; and blockchain technology. All four receive considerable interest from venture capital firms across Scandinavia, and all are frequently framed as new sustainable solutions.
However, the scientific evidence to back these claims up is limited, according to the new study.
For blockchain technology, no research has shown any tangible sustainability improvements related to its usage in the food industry. Studies that have been published so far only discussed theoretical benefits.
Plant-based substitutes are found to have lower environmental impacts than conventional animal-based products. But research on their nutritional aspects has not been studied over the long term, and other socioeconomic factors, such as pricing, are rarely discussed.
“Plant-based alternatives are higher in costs than conventional animal products, which could generate the impression that a plant-based diet is more expensive and seen as a luxury, leading to social inequalities,” warns lead author Anne Charlotte Bunge.
Vertical farming has a mixed sustainability performance. Vertical farms outperform on-field cultivation and greenhouses in some aspects, such as land and water use. However, they often require more energy and emit more greenhouse gases than field agriculture. And regarding other aspects of sustainability, there is little research: “We found a distinct lack of evidence modelling the socio-economic implications of scaling vertical farming,” says Anne Charlotte Bunge.
Food deliveries performed worse in most aspects of sustainability, except that delivered groceries are better than making individual trips to the supermarket by car – but not by foot or public transport. Having meals delivered to one’s home did not have any benefits, according to the analysis.
“Research demonstrates that walking to the restaurant and consuming the meal there instead of having it delivered could reduce the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions by 68 percent per meal,” says Anne Charlotte Bunge.
Even here, significant gaps in research exist on other environmental issues and social sustainability.
To prevent misled investments in the future, the researchers call for a new sustainability assessment framework.
“Guiding transformative investments requires a more rigorous, quantitative assessment of the sustainability implications of food system technologies,” says co-author Line Gordon, professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.
What are the four food technologies?
Plant-based Alternatives: Vegan substitutes of meat, dairy, seafood, and eggs, that mimic the structure, taste, and sensory profile of conventional animal-based products.
Vertical Farming: Multi-layer vertical indoor crop production systems with controlled growth conditions and without solar light.
Blockchain Technology: A decentralized distributed ledger technology that traces the supply chain to create transparency.
Food Deliveries: The delivery of meals and groceries that have been purchased online by various means of transport. Part of the wider digital food environment.
Research contact:
Anne Charlotte Bunge
PhD candidate at Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
Email: annecharlotte.bunge@su.se
Phone: +46 73 7078616
Read more about Anne Charlotte Bunge’s research
About Stockholm Resilience Centre:
Stockholm Resilience Centre is a leading international research centre at Stockholm University for research and education on resilience and sustainability. The centre is a joint initiative between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at The Royal Swedish Academy Sciences. Read more
Paper details:
Title: A systematic scoping review of the sustainability of vertical farming, plant-based alternatives, food delivery services and blockchain in food systems
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00622-8
DOI: 10.1038/s43016-022-00622-8
Authors: Bunge, A.C., Wood, A., Halloran, A., Gordon, L.J.
JOURNAL
Nature Food
ARTICLE TITLE
A systematic scoping review of the sustainability of vertical farming, plant-based alternatives, food delivery services and blockchain in food systems
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
3-Nov-2022
UC Davis and Barnstorm Foundry
announce partnership to identify new
markets for food tech
The Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis, and the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health will partner with Barnstorm Foundry, a food and heath startup foundry, to discover new markets for novel food ingredients and products that are nutritious, sustainable and accessible. The new partnership will engage the Graduate School of Management’s MBA students to evaluate food tech opportunities and publish publicly available reports on their market potential.
“Bold innovation is needed to tackle the health and sustainability challenges facing our food system today,” said Barnstorm Foundry Managing Partner Aryeh Ganz. “UC Davis is at the center of a world-class food tech ecosystem, and this new partnership will identify exciting new markets for food technologies that can have an impact.”
“This partnership continues to build on our strength as the leading MBA program for food and agriculture,” said GSM Dean H. RaoUnnava. “Our students will have the opportunity to be part of launching several new food companies, creating unparalleled prospects for our MBA students to create career success and impact the health, sustainability, and accessibility of food.”
The first report under this partnership — released today (Nov. 4) — explores potential new technologies for healthier and more sustainable plant-based milks, a transformative food category that continues to see rapid development and expansion. New reports will be issued once a quarter.
“These market discovery reports play a critical role in the institute’s work connecting cutting-edge food and health technologies with industry,” said Justin Siegel, IIFH faculty director and associate professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular medicine at UC Davis. “Students will be equipped with the real-world business and investment knowledge necessary to drive change in food, health, and sustainability.”
The first cohort of four UC Davis MBA students that took part in the project each received a $5,000 stipend to carry out the research and write the market discovery reports. Prasad Naik, a professor in the Graduate School of Management, advised the students.
The market research experience opened a pathway for students to be well-informed about current trends, the science behind the trends, consumer perception and investors’ activity.
“Our goal was to create a piece of literature that would contribute meaningful analysis to prospective investors in the food and agriculture technology industry so that they may make more informed investment decisions,” said MBA student Lucas Haskins, who blogged about the experience.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
News article
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
Not applicable
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